Why is octopus plural not octopi?

The three plurals for octopus come from the different ways the English language adopts plurals. Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that words of Latin origin should have Latin endings. Octopuses was the next plural, giving the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word.

Is it octopuses or octopi or octopodes?

Grammatically speaking, the plural for octopus is octopuses. As the Merriam-Webster dictionary points out, people use three different terms, however: octopi, octopuses, and octopodes. While octopi has become popular in modern usage, it’s wrong.

When was the plural of octopus changed?

When octopus was first mentioned in the English language in the mid-1700s, it was pluralized as octopuses. That said, some grammarians wanted English to be like the less irregular Latin language, so they started putting Latin pluralizations on Latin-based English words, which led to octopi.

Which plural form is not correct for octopus?

Both octopuses and octopi are acceptable plurals for octopus. Of the two, octopuses is the simpler and more commonly used. The proposed plural octopodes is based on the plural of the Ancient Greek word from which octopus ultimately derives. But it’s rarely used outside of the octopuses vs.

How do you say the plural of octopus?

Octopodes stems from the belief that because octopus is originally Greek, it should have a Greek ending, says Merriam-Webster. However, the final option, octopuses, is the preferred plural when speaking and writing in English.

Is octopus octopi or octopodes?

Octopodes stems from the belief that because octopus is originally Greek, it should have a Greek ending, says Merriam-Webster. However, the final option, octopuses, is the preferred plural when speaking and writing in English

Which is correct octopuses or octopi?

The three plurals for octopus come from the different ways the English language adopts plurals. Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that words of Latin origin should have Latin endings. Octopuses was the next plural, giving the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word.

What is the correct plural for octopus?

Both octopuses and octopi are acceptable plurals for octopus. Of the two, octopuses is the simpler and more commonly used. The proposed plural octopodes is based on the plural of the Ancient Greek word from which octopus ultimately derives. But it’s rarely used outside of the octopuses vs.

Why did they change octopi to octopuses?

The three plurals for octopus come from the different ways the English language adopts plurals. Octopi is the oldest plural of octopus, coming from the belief that words of Latin origin should have Latin endings. Octopuses was the next plural, giving the word an English ending to match its adoption as an English word.

Why is plural of octopus not octopi?

While octopi has become popular in modern usage, it’s wrong. The letter i as a suffix to indicate a plural noun only applies to words with Latin roots, like cacti for more than one cactus. But octopus is derived from Greek, so the proper pluralization in this case would be odes if it was ever used.

What are the three plurals of octopus?

The current champion in the Battle of Troublesome Pluralization is octopus, which, depending on which dictionary is consulted, may be written in three different ways: octopi, octopuses, and octopodes.

How do you say octopus plural?

This is the least-used ending, even though it may fit the word’s Greek origins best. Octopodes stems from the belief that because octopus is originally Greek, it should have a Greek ending, says Merriam-Webster. However, the final option, octopuses, is the preferred plural when speaking and writing in English.